Josh Barnett To Face Claudio Castagnoli At AEW WrestleDream

By Liam O’Loughlin
Claudio Castagnoli enters the arena AEW

Claudio Castagnoli has earned a spot on the AEW WrestleDream card, with the former ROH World Champion throwing down an open challenge to Josh Barnett for Sunday night's event in Seattle, Washington. After losing his championship just over a week ago against Eddie Kingston, the 42-year-old revealed on "AEW Collision" that a weight had now been lifted from his shoulders and that he will be looking to push forward against the former UFC heavyweight in Barnett.

As one of Antonio Inoki's prized pupils and a true crossover star in combat sports, Barnett has yet to appear in AEW, but has been used sporadically in NJPW over the years, as well as working on the independent scene and his own Bloodsport promotion. The 45-year-old will also have the home-ground advantage at WrestleDream, with Barnett hailing from Seattle. He joins fellow Washington products Bryan Danielson, Swerve Strickland, and Darby Allin on the show. 

The match between Barnett and Castagnoli will be featured on the "Zero Hour" pre-show at the Climate Pledge Arena, joining the bout between Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne, as well as The Acclaimed and Daddy A** against TMDK. 

AEW WrestleDream full match card

  • TNT Championship: Christian Cage (c) vs Darby Allin
  • ROH World Championship: Eddie Kingston (c) vs Katsuyori Shibata
  • AEW Tag Team Championship: FTR (c) vs Aussie Open
  • TBS Championship: Kris Statlander (c) vs Julia Hart
  • ROH World Tag Team Championship: MJF (c) vs The Righteous
  • Swerve Strickland vs "Hangman" Adam Page
  • Bryan Danielson vs Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Chris Jericho & The Golden Lovers vs The Don Callis Family
  • Ricky Starks vs Wheeler Yuta
  • The Young Bucks vs Orange Cassidy & HOOK vs The Gunns vs Lucha Brothers
  • Luchasaurus vs Nick Wayne ("Zero Hour")
  • The Acclaimed & Daddy A** vs TMDK ("Zero Hour")
  • Josh Barnett vs Claudio Castagnoli ("Zero Hour")
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